New Back Room Staff

[Villa in Denmark]

I always thought of Olsen as Beckenbauer light. Decent player though, wasn't he manager of Denmark for ages?

Has been since 2000 and still is!

[TopDeck113]

I can't now remember the circumstances,  but how come Parks played in that final and not Ray Clemence?

[UK Redsox]

What exactly  does a GK do? Its not as if Brad or Shay are novices at catching, throwing, diving or kicking a ball.

Shay struggles to catch the ball and Brad can't kick the ball, so that's two reasons for having a GK coach.

[Pete3206]

I can't now remember the circumstances,  but how come Parks played in that final and not Ray Clemence?

Clemence was recovering from a collarbone injury and wasn't 100% fit.

[Damo70]

I always thought of Olsen as Beckenbauer light. Decent player though, wasn't he manager of Denmark for ages?

Has been since 2000 and still is!

That must be the safest job of an international manager since Saddam Hussein stuck his son in charge of the Iraqi team.

[Villa in Denmark]

I always thought of Olsen as Beckenbauer light. Decent player though, wasn't he manager of Denmark for ages?

Has been since 2000 and still is!

That must be the safest job of an international manager since Saddam Hussein stuck his son in charge of the Iraqi team.

Nobody else will have it. The media pressure is about 70% of that Hodgson gets, but with 25% of the resources.

Every time his latest 2 year contract is up for renewal (just after the latest qualifying tournament is over), either they've qualified and it's hard to justify getting rid, or they haven't qualified, there's a huge clamour for him to go, the DBU look around, approach Michael Laudrup, plus whoever the latest golden child in SupaLiga is, get knocked back and offer Olsen another 2 years.

I reckon he really has got a job for life.

[godzvilla]

Another positive addition to the Backroom Staff, good to see we are ( apparently) getting in some well qualified & experienced people. ............Godzvilla!

12:40 - Aston Villa
Aston Villa have appointed former Manchester City scout Leon Collins to oversee their scouting operation in France, Serbia and Croatia.
Collins was on the staff at City for over nine years and was responsible for coordinating the Premier League champions' local, national and global recruitment strategy at academy level.
He was also latterly employed as City's academy secretary but left the club to take up his new post at Villa two months ago.
Collins will now work with ex-Liverpool spy Paddy Riley, who was brought in as the club's head of recruitment a matter of weeks before he too beefed up the Villa scouting department.
The Liverpudlian is also responsible for unearthing new talent in Slovakia, Slovenia and Bosnia - a part of the world that Villa now appear to be focusing more effort on.

- See more at: http://www.sportinastorm.com/Premier-League/Aston-Villa/Villa-nab-City-scout-for-Balkan-area/X1Y2Z1894931?#sthash.vDEvcjTE.dpuf

[Dante Lavelli]

Sounds like another positive appointment. 
Probably about ten years too late, but at least we're finally addressing the issues.

[Toronto Villa]

there are clearly a lot of good and positive things happening behind the scenes, but so much depends on us staying up. We really need to stop this run of defeats first and foremost and build from there. A win this weekend would be ace, but a draw isn't the end of the world.

[garyshawsknee]

I'd bite someone's hand off right now for a draw TV, as you say, just to stop the rot.

[Toronto Villa]

That's why the Stoke defeat was so tough to take. A draw wouldn't have been great but much better than losing 6 straight.

[garyshawsknee]

Have we ever gone 7 before ? 

[Villa in Denmark]

Have we ever gone 7 before ? 

I think that was one of the few records Lambert didn't break, but equalled it with 6 earlier on (the 6 that started with Arsenal at home that then extended to 9 without a win)
We're now 6 defeats on the bounce and 11 without a win!

[OCD]

Those days when we used to occasionally win a game were good. It used to make the weekend for me and I would be the happier for it.

[Toronto Villa]

Sherwood has said he would consider hiring another coach or sports psychologist if he thinks it will help. I do applaud him for this and especially when you consider the paucity of coaches under Lambert. To this day I cannot believe he kept things so lean at a PL club and especially the farce that bexams his assistant manager situation.